Improvement in neck-yoke and pole attachments



MARIA IHJNHAM.V

Neck-Yoke and Pole-Attachments.

' Patented Dec@ 29 UNITED STATES MARIA DUNHAM, OF BOYER TOWNSHIP, GRAFORD COUNTY, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN `NECK-VCJKE AND POLE ATTACHMENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 155,260, dated December 29, 1874; application filed December 3, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARIA DUNHAM, of Boyer township, in the county of Crawford and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Neck-Yoke Attachments for Carriage-Poles, of which the following is a specification:

This invention has for its object to furnish simple and effective means whereby yokes may be securely attach ed to carriage and other draft poles, and disengaged therefrom, with ease and celerity.

The invention consists in a neck-yoke-retaining attachment for carriage-poles, consisting essentially of an arc-shaped locking-lever, which is pivoted to a metallic plate secured to the pole, and attached, at the end near its pivot, to a sliding spring-retracted bar, which is drawn outward by means of a spring-encircled stem extending through a cap-plate at the end of the pole, so that the free end of the arc-shaped locking-lever will be withdrawn from its attaching-plate to permit Vthe neckyoke to be attached or detached, the lockinglever at other times being firmly locked to retain the neck-yoke in position. The invention further consists in giving the spring-encircled pull-stem a longitudinal movement independent ofthe sliding spring-retracted bar, and in providing the same with a pin at its inner end, which is projected into or through an opening formed in the free end of the locking-lever, to retain the same in a locked position.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure lis a longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is a side eleva- Lion.

The pole A, which may be that of a carriage, wagon, reaper, or other draft-vehicle, is pro vided with a longitudinal channel or elongated cavity, B, at its forward end, for the reception of the neck-yoke-attaching devices. The attachment is made entirely distinct from the pole, and is composed of a pair of face-plates, U D, located, respectively', on the upper and lower sides of the pole, and connected at their forward ends-by a cap, E, fitting on the end of the pole. Between external ears a, formed on the lower plate D, there is pivoted an arcshaped or curved lever, F, both ends of which extend through the plate into the cavity in the pole. The end of the arc-shaped lever F in proximity to the pivotjoint is pivoted to a longitudinally-sliding bar, G, the rear end of which carries a jointed guide-stem, H, moving in an inner guide-projection of the plate D, and having a head at its rear end. Said stem H is encircled by a spiral spring, I, which is located in rear of the guideprojection, and Whose object is to retract the sliding bar G when the forward pull upon the same is discontinued. The front end of said bar carries a pull-stem, K, having an encircling spiral spring, L, and extending through the cap E of the attachment, where it terminates in a head or knob, e. The pull-stem K is attached to the sliding bar G by means of a slotted ear, M, which fits into the bifurcated end of the bar, and through which passes an attachingpin, o. By the provision of said slotted ear the pull-stem is capable of receiving a sliding movement independently of the ear G, so as to enable it to be used for locking the free end of the arc-shaped locking-lever. The stem is, for this purpose, provided with a pin or reduced rear end, N, which slides through aprojection, j', on the plate D, and enters a hole Aformed in the free extremity of the locking-lever. The spiral spring L of the combined pull and locking pin or stem K serves to force the same into the hole in the free end of the locking-lever after the same has been projected through the faceplate into the cavity of the pole by the retracting-spring of the sliding bar G. In order to attach the neckyoke to the pole, all that is necessary is to pull the stem K in an outward direction until the same has moved independently of the sliding bar to the extent of its slotted ear. This causes the locking-lever to be freed from its locking-pin, and then, by lcontinuing the pull, the sliding bar G is drawn forward, consequently turning the curved lever on its fulcrnm, and causing its free end to be outside of and removed from the face-plate. When the parts are in these positions the ordinary ring of the neckyoke is slipped on the lock ing-lever, the pull-stem is then released for causing the sliding bar to be forced back by its spring, and the end of the locking-lever to be projected into the cavity B Jfor engagement with the locking-pin.

The draft strain of the neck-yoke is borne by a stud or projection, P, on the plate D.

The locking-lever may be provided with a thumb-piece, g, for enabling the saine to be operated by hand after the pull-pin has been released; but generally the latter Will be sufficient and more convenient for the purpose, as it is located at the front of the pole, Within easy reach.

By the arrangement of devices shown neckyokes may be detached from poles Without going between the draft-animals.

What I claim is-' MARIA DUNHAM.

Witnesses CEAS. E. BUTTERWoRTi-I, C. DUNHAM. 

